10 English Muffins Made With The Highest Quality Ingredients
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English muffins are bread's fancy cousin. They are usually made with baking soda, yeast, and flour, among other ingredients, and have a distinctly sour yet pleasant, doughy taste. They are best cooked on a cast iron griddle, with little craters forming in the dough as it settles. The small holes are great spots for your butter or spread to settle into the muffin, making a mouthwatering bite even more delectable.
Whether you love to use English muffins for your breakfast sandwich, as a vehicle for your favorite butter and jam combo, or as a dessert with Nutella, you'll want to know the best brands that not only taste good, but are made with high quality ingredients — a term that can be subjective. For some, it means no preservatives and ingredients devoid of chemicals. Many people refer to "high quality ingredients" in a nutritional sense, to mean foods that provide health benefits. That is what we will hone in on in our assessment of these products.
If you enjoy English muffins, why not let your body enjoy them, too? Here are the brands that prioritize high quality ingredients in their recipes, such as different types of whole grains, seeds, healthy oils, and more.
1. Dempster's Whole Grain English Muffins
Dempster's is a Canadian brand that specializes in all things bread, only using Canadian wheat flour for its baked goods. It prides itself on not using additives or unnecessary ingredients, even writing on its site, "if you ask us, simpler just tastes better."
The first ingredient listed for the English muffins is whole grain whole wheat flour including the germ. For something to be whole wheat, it must contain all parts of the grain: bran, endosperm, and germ. These three components provide the wheat with the highest nutritional value, and with any of them missing, you'd lose out on many of the benefits of the whole grain.
The bran is the outer layer of the kernel and has fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin E, folate, and more. The germ provides protein, potassium, zinc, and antioxidants. The endosperm is the main form of starch, which is a complex carbohydrate that is necessary for a well-rounded diet. It also has niacin, vitamin B6, B1, and B2. All three parts of the grain work together to create a nutrient-dense profile, making these whole grain muffins a healthy choice.
Another ingredient in Dempster's English Muffin recipe is rice flour, which adds more fiber, antioxidants, and nutrients like iron and niacin that can help boost the immune system.
2. Food For Life Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain English Muffins
Food For Life's Ezekiel 4:9 English muffins are known to be filled with nutrient-dense ingredients. Ezekiel bread even had a moment of popularity on social media, with millions of TikTok videos on the subject alone. But why all the hype?
We were very impressed with the ingredients in these English muffins, including standouts like sprouted lentils, sprouted spelt, and sprouted millet. The fact that these highly nutritious grains are sprouted adds to their quality. Consuming sprouted grains can improve the digestibility of the food, reduces the glycemic index (which prevents blood sugar from raising too quickly), and increases the antioxidant content.
Lentils have tons of vitamins and minerals, like calcium, iron, potassium, and vitamins A and C. They are also a great source of protein, along with spelt. The two grains contribute to the high protein count in these English muffins — 8 grams each. Spelt also boasts a high amount of magnesium, zinc, fiber, and manganese. Millet provides soluble and insoluble sources of fiber, as well as containing A and B vitamins.
The high protein content can help keep you satiated longer and aids in muscle recovery and immune health. The fiber will assist your digestive system and contribute to lower cholesterol levels. So much nutrition packed into one muffin is a win in our book!
3. Whole Foods 365 Whole Wheat English Muffins
Whole Foods' English Muffins lists whole wheat flour as the first ingredient, which is great to see because it's packed with nutrients, including a significant amount of protein, iron, and potassium. Potassium has tons of benefits, like reducing water retention and removing excess sodium from the body. Iron plays an important role in many functions, and without enough, you might feel fatigued and irritable. Protein is an important macronutrient needed every day for hormone and muscle health.
Whole wheat flour is a complex carbohydrate and takes longer to digest, giving your body prolonged energy while maintaining your blood sugar levels. On the other hand, white flour is made of simple carbohydrates, which turn into sugar faster. This is why it's better to look for whole wheat versus white flour when choosing an English muffin.
Another great ingredient in Whole Food's English Muffin is honey, a healthier option than table sugar for adding a touch of sweetness. Honey is filled with antioxidants, which help fight free radicals in the body, molecules that cause damage to cells, resulting in cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and other issues. Honey also contains prebiotics, which assist the digestive system in working more smoothly by helping feed the good bacteria in the gut.
4. Dave's Killer Bread English Muffins
Dave's Killer Bread prides itself on creating great tasting bread while maintaining solid nutrition. The "Killer Classic" English Muffins are dairy-free, Kosher, vegan, vegetarian, and organic, and filled with healthy ingredients. Seeing the facts on paper, it looks like these muffins couldn't possibly be tasty, but according to reviews online, that's not the case.
One customer on the product website boasted about the solid taste and health benefits, saying "These are DELISH! And have helped stabilize my blood sugar — was looking for a snack that was healthy for after dinner — half a piece and i wake up to good blood sugar numbers! Love the taste and texture!"
The ingredients that stick out to us are the organic quinoa flour and organic acerola cherry powder. Quinoa is a great addition to your diet because it is high in both fiber and protein, and also has B vitamins, iron, and magnesium. Magnesium holds a slew of benefits, like aiding muscle cramps or soreness, supporting blood sugar levels, and assisting in restful sleep.
Acerola cherry is high in vitamin C — so high in fact that it is considered to be one of the richest sources in the world. This is great for the immune system, because it helps protect the body's cells. If you're lacking vitamin C, it can cause fatigue and irritability.
5. Dam Good English Muffins
This brand's hilarious name lets consumers know it's confident in the product it's selling. Dam Good Whole Wheat Sourdough English Muffins are a unique option; aside from being bigger than the average product, they are made with sourdough starter, whole wheat ingredients, and zero preservatives or GMOs.
The first ingredient listed on the nutritional panel caught our eye: hard red whole wheat flour. This type of wheat has a nuttier flavor and contains a higher amount of protein than white wheat. With its whole wheat properties, this ingredient is great to be consuming daily for heart and digestion health. The American Heart Association recommends three or more servings a day of whole grains, so why not get one of them from your English muffin?
Another great ingredient in the recipe is avocado oil. Avocado oil is full of healthy fats, which contribute to heart health. It can also help your body absorb additional nutrients, like vitamin A, D, E, and K, which are better metabolized when eaten with fat. Other great benefits of avocado oil are its positive effect on skin, hair, and nail health, due to the vitamin A and E content. Some English muffin brands use other types of oil that don't offer as many benefits, so we were glad to see this ingredient in Dam Good's product.
6. Food For Life Gluten Free English Muffins
For people who have celiac disease or are sensitive to gluten, finding a gluten-free English muffin that tastes good and is also healthy can be a hard feat. Thankfully, Food For Life has a great recipe made with quality ingredients. These English muffins are filled with healthy seeds like chia, flax, and sesame that offer high amounts of fiber, which is great for digestion and heart health. They're also high in manganese, which has many benefits such as regulating blood sugar, supporting bone density, and reducing inflammation in the body. This is just scratching the surface — there are many other vitamins and minerals contained in these English muffins.
On interesting ingredient in Food For Life's gluten-free products is psyllium husk, a type of soluble fiber that helps keep the digestive system regular. Another great quality of these English muffins is that there aren't any added sugars or oils. This is something to look out for in gluten-free products, as brands tend to add these unnecessary ingredients to make the product taste better.
Many customers relate to the woes of finding a tasty gluten-free English muffin. One Amazon reviewer raved about this brand, saying, "It's as close to a 'real' English muffin as you're going to get without the gluten. I thoroughly enjoyed the flavor and consistency ... and was pleasantly surprised that it tasted better than it looked."
7. Stone & Skillet Artisan Whole Wheat English Muffin
Stone & Skillet is a small brand that makes low volume batches of English muffins in Boston, Massachusetts. The company prides itself on being an artisan bakery — meaning its products are handmade with quality ingredients — and aims to uphold a high standard for its product. The Stone & Skillet English Muffins are also known to have a great taste and texture, with a 4.4-star rating on Amazon. One reviewer wrote, "These are great. They are significantly thicker than your normal English muffin. These toast up very nice and taste spectacular."
One ingredient that adds nutritional value to these muffins is barley flour, which is chock-full of healthy nutrients, like magnesium and copper. Magnesium aids in insulin production, which can prevent diabetes. Copper is great for your immune health, as it helps your body produce red blood cells. The flour is enriched with riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, which helps with liver, skin, and eye health, as well as playing a role metabolizing fats and protein.
Stone & Skillet also adds cornmeal and honey to its recipe, which both enhance the taste and texture while simultaneously providing health benefits. Cornmeal contains fiber as well as minerals like magnesium and phosphorus — which help keep your digestive system regular. Honey, a great alternative to table sugar, is a natural anti-inflammatory that can help fight off illnesses.
8. Trader Joe's Whole Wheat English Muffins
If you're a diehard Trader Joe's shopper, you'll be happy to know its Whole Wheat English Muffins are made with high quality ingredients. Since they are relatively low in calories (130 per muffin), they are a great addition to a larger meal. None of the ingredients stick out negatively, as the recipe is fairly simple.
The very first ingredient on the packaging is stone ground wheat flour, which per its name is made by grinding grain with stones. This is a slow process which maintains the germ and bran components of the wheat that are usually lost in flour production when other methods are used. The bran and germ contain beneficial nutrients like fiber, vitamins B1 and B2, and calcium.
The muffins also contain cultured wheat flour, which has been fermented. In the fermentation process, starches and proteins are broken down, making it easier to metabolize the nutrients. This type of flour helps preserve food as it is an anti-fungal, therefore extending the shelf life.
9. Canyon Gluten Free Honey Whole Grain English Muffins
The world always needs more gluten-free options that taste good while still providing nutrients. These English muffins fall into that category and are anything but disappointing. Canyon Bakehouse primarily uses brown rice flour to make its Gluten Free Whole Grain English Muffins, which packs in many benefits like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Another advantage of brown rice flour is that it contains two types of antioxidants: phenols and flavonoids. These help reduce damage to cells in the body, potentially fighting diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's.
These English muffins also contain sunflower seeds, which add to the taste and nutrient content. Sunflower seeds contain vitamin E and antioxidants, which can both decrease inflammation in the body. When the body is inflamed, it is more prone to illness and chronic diseases, so incorporating foods like sunflower seeds can help prevent this outcome.
Customers love Canyon's English Muffins because of the taste and health benefits, rating them a 4.4 out of 5 stars on Amazon. One of the Amazon reviewers wrote, "I am thrilled with these muffins! They are really healthy with whole grains, soft and very tasty. Unlike regular whole wheat bread, they have a subtle sweetness and are not dry with a hard crust."
10. Thomas' Light Multi Grain English Muffins
Thomas' is an incredibly popular English muffin brand on the market that produces several variations to fill the grocery store aisle. Some of its English muffins aren't necessarily considered the healthiest on the market, but we've happily discovered that the Light Multi Grain version offers some great benefits.
For starters, the ingredients are primarily enriched wheat flour and whole grains. Enriched wheat flour is commonly used in bread or muffin recipes, as it has a smooth texture. This type of flour is refined making it less beneficial than whole grain, however, since it is enriched, it contains B vitamins and iron which are great for the immune system. Although Thomas' English muffins aren't exclusively made with whole grain flour, they still pack in some high-quality ingredients that can benefit your health.
Flaxseed, barley, and millet stuck out to us while checking out the ingredient panel. Flaxseed and barley are a great source of soluble fiber, which helps with digestion and heart health. Flaxseed also has omega-3 fatty acids, which is another component that benefits heart health. Meanwhile, millet's high levels of quercetin — a type of antioxidant that can work as a natural anti-histamine in the body — is a healthy inclusion.
Methodology
In order to find the English muffins with the highest quality ingredients, we combed through multiple grocery store selections. From there, we checked each ingredient list for items that we know contribute to good health: different types of whole grains, healthy oils, seeds, natural preservatives, and a lack of additives. We highlighted the health-positive ingredients that we saw for each brand.